At the center of the border debate, San Diego and Tijuana officials tout partnership

The six-hour shutdown of the U.S.- Mexico border crossing in Tijuana last month took a huge economic toll on its U.S. neighbor to the north: Nearly $5 million in revenue was lost for the city of San Diego over the course of those hours, said Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

Faulconer and Tijuana councilmember Ivette Casillas spoke at the Cities of Tomorrow Conference on Friday (Dec. 7) at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, addressing the recent headlines that have cast a spotlight on Tijuana, and describing shared economic benefits both cities enjoy by sharing a border. The conference is hosted by the New York Times and NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.

Casillas and Faulconer stressed that, setting aside the issue of immigration, both cities have enjoyed a long and stable economic relationship over the years. The economic engine in the region is driven by industries such as automotive, electronics, and medical device manufacturing, according to Casillas.

“We are a dynamic region,” she said. “People go and study there, people go and work there, go shopping and do business.”

Friday’s panel, which was moderated by New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman, was originally supposed to include Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastélum. But he was held back to attend to the ongoing migrant crisis in his city.

Tijuana was not prepared for the migrant caravan of approximately 6,000 Central Americans who crossed through Mexico to plead asylum at the U.S. border, according to Casillas, who added that currently about 2,500 people are being housed in shelters in the city.

“This was an emergency,” she said. “I think no city has the capacity to attempt (to handle) 6,000 people who are just coming in.”

The arrival of the caravan forced a six-hour temporary closure of the border at San Ysidro Nov. 19. The closure, as brief as it was, highlighted the mutually beneficial economic relationship both cities have.

The San Ysidro border crossing is the busiest in North America, with about 37.6 million people crossing into the U.S. from Mexico in 2018 alone, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. With 64 lanes of traffic, the border is in “constant motion,” Faulconer described.

“Part of our message continues to be, we want a safe, secure border, but open for the crossing of goods, families and traffic to flow,” he said.

Casillas spoke about how parts of Tijuana, “are growing up,” with people living there and crossing over to the U.S. to work. Tijuana is relatively young she said, at only 129 years old. It has grown to become the fifth-largest city in Mexico, with the second-largest airport in the country after to Mexico City.

Casillas estimated that the Tijuana-San Diego mega-region is home to about 6 million people, generating a $255 billion economy.

“It’s a relationship that works,” Faulconer added. “I will be very vocal as well as my neighbors on how important free trade is – to both of our countries, but in particular, to our cities.”